SPRINGFIELD, IL – The Illinois Department of Financial and
Professional Regulation (IDFPR) made available on September 16, 2004 licensing
applications for Humane Euthanasia Agencies and Humane Euthanasia
Technicians.

“Euthanasia Agency” means an entity licensed
by IDFPR for the purpose of animal euthanasia that holds an animal control
facility or animal shelter license under the Animal Welfare Act. “Euthanasia
Technician” means a person employed by an euthanasia agency or working under
the direct supervision of a veterinarian and who is certified by IDFPR to
administer euthanasia drugs for animals.

“This legislation ensures that only certified
euthanasia technicians or licensed veterinarians perform euthanasia of
animals,” said Acting Director Daniel E. Bluthardt, Division of Professional
Regulation. “Additionally, this legislation establishes requirements for the
purchasing and storage of drugs used to euthanize animals.”

Applications are available at www.idfpr.com,
calling (217) 782-8556 or by writing to:

IDFPR, Division of
Professional Regulation

ATTN: Forms Unit

320 West Washington Street

Springfield,
IL62786

FAX: (217) 557-8073

Humane Euthanasia Agencies are eligible for
licensure if they hold an active, unencumbered license under the Animal
Welfare Act as an animal control facility or animal shelter.

Humane Euthanasia Technicians may be eligible
for licensure if the following requirements are met:

§Be at
least 18 years of age

§Submit a
criminal background check and provide verification of fingerprint processing from
a designated agent.

§Must
hold a current license or certification from one of the following
organizations issued within three (3) years preceding the date of
application:

oAmerican Humane Association

oNational Animal Control Association

oIllinois Federation of Humane Societies

oHumane Society of the United States

Until March 1, 2005 the IDFPR may issue a
license to an applicant who holds a license or certification from one of the
above four organizations issued after January 1, 1997.

Illinois Department of
Agriculture Starts Work on Animal Identification System

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – In an ongoing
effort to ensure safety in the food supply, the state Department of
Agriculture has begun the difficult, but important task of identifying every
farm, feedlot, sales barn and slaughter facility in Illinois that handles food animals. It is
the first step toward the implementation of a national animal identification
system that will enable livestock and poultry to be rapidly traced from the
farm to the dinner fork.

“Time is a critical factor in containing animal disease outbreaks
and preventing food-borne illnesses,” Dr. Colleen O’Keefe, the department’s
division manager of Food Safety and Animal Protection, said. “The rapid
identification of infected animals and contaminated food products minimizes
farmers’ financial losses and protects human lives. This system, when fully
operational, will enable animals and premises that have been exposed to a
disease to be identified within 48 hours of the disease’s discovery.”

The department has established an online registration process
to identify food animal facilities. It takes approximately 15 minutes to
complete and consists of a short application that asks for a facility’s
street and mailing addresses, its phone number, a description of its
operation and the animal species it handles. Menus are provided to ease the
process and ensure similar facilities are categorized the same way. After the
form is submitted, the facility will be issued a federal premise
identification number.

The online application is posted on the Illinois Department
of Agriculture’s website at www.agr.state.il.us.
Mail and telephone registration also are available. Applicants should either
write to the Illinois Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Health,
P.O. Box 19281, Springfield,
Ill., 62794,
or call toll-free (800) 273-4763.

“Strong collaboration among farmers, farm organizations,
meat packers and state animal health officials will be required to meet our
goal of identifying every food animal facility by Sept. 1, 2005,” Dr. O’Keefe
said. “We’ve been working closely with industry groups to create this system,
and plan to meet Sept. 16 to discuss outreach efforts that they can make to
encourage their members to apply.”

Illinois is part of a five-state consortium that will develop and
implement the national animal identification system in the Great
Lakes region. Other participating states are Wisconsin,
Michigan, Indiana
and Ohio.

A $130,000 grant from the USDA is paying for the
registration of livestock and poultry premises in Illinois.

Ames,
Iowa – Dr. Roger K. Mahr, St.
Charles, Illinois, was recognized
with IowaStateUniversity’s highest honor awarded
to alumni of its College
of Veterinary Medicine.

He returned to IowaState for special ceremonies held
October 8 and 9 to recognize the university’s most accomplished alumni in
all fields. The Stange Award in Veterinary Medicine is named in memory of a
long-time alumnus in recognition of outstanding professional achievements
in veterinary education, research, government service, or private practice.

Dr. Mahr, a small
animal practitioner, received his veterinary degree in 1971 from IowaStateUniversity.
Following graduation, he practiced in the Chicago
suburbs of Morton Grove and Evanston. Since 1974, he has owned and
operated the Meadow View Veterinary Clinic in Geneva, Illinois.

For over 30 years,
Dr. Mahr has been committed to advancing the veterinary profession at the
local, regional and national levels. He is currently the Chair of the
Executive Board of the American Veterinary Medical Association, a
professional association of more than 71,000 member veterinarians.

“Our veterinary
medical profession is extremely fortunate to have talented and committed
members like Dr. Mahr to provide coordinated leadership for our national
association, the AVMA,” said Dr. John U. Thomson, dean of the veterinary
college at IowaStateUniversity,
during the award presentation.

Dr. Mahr has also
held leadership positions in the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association and
the Illinois State Veterinary Medical Association, receiving numerous
awards for his dedication and service.

An active
community leader, Dr. Mahr is a member of the Geneva Chamber of Commerce;
Geneva Lions Club, serving as president in 1987; the Delnor Community
Hospital Men’s Foundation. He served as a member and president of the Board
of Education of the St.
CharlesCommunityUnitSchool
District. He is also a member of the United
Methodist Church of Geneva.

Dr. Mahr and his
wife, Marilyn, reside in St.
Charles, Illinois,
and have two children.They have a
daughter and son-in-law, Deanna and Keenan Baker, and a son, David.

Have You
Registered for the MississippiValley VMA Annual Meeting
(November 2-4, 2004)?

A brochure was mailed last week with the schedule,
speaker information and registration form for the Mississippi Valley VMA
Annual Meeting. You can also find the information online at http://www.isvma.org/region4.htm.

The MVVMA has put together an entertaining and educational
program. The registration deadline is
October 25, 2004 and the PAR-A-DICE Hotel is accepting reservations through
October 17, 2004.